


Soon As I Get Home

by OneAndOnlyTako



Series: Music obsession [4]
Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Break Up, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, Love Confessions, Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28727865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneAndOnlyTako/pseuds/OneAndOnlyTako
Summary: *The whole Music Obsession series was inspired by TheCurvedWritingDesk's Request chapter 35*Poppy got a ride home after Julri left her in the cold. Can you take a wild guess who took her home?Music by Babyface
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Series: Music obsession [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064333
Comments: 16
Kudos: 76





	Soon As I Get Home

**Author's Note:**

> One of my all time favorite singers. I love Babyface!  
> Listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omn5irDnAoQ
> 
> As always, a huge THANK to peanutbutterandchelly for beta reading and editing for me yet again. Appreciate your friendship and support =)  
> My ride or die- Tricia, who doesn't read MPL but spent time reading, giving me feedback and quoting me via texts! You made me blush at my own words lol
> 
> All characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art

Poppy checked her phone for the third time. She had been waiting for Julri, her boyfriend, on the sidewalk outside of her office for a while now. She asked her boss at the publishing company if she could leave early before a snowstorm hit the city. Julri told her he would pick her up and drop her off at her apartment. She was grateful for the offer since the bus temporarily stopped running for safety precautions. She started to get worried when she’d been waiting for almost half an hour but hadn’t heard from him. 

Anxiety crept up at the thought of having to pay for taxi fare to get home. She couldn’t afford that luxury since a big chunk of her salary had gone to gas and electricity bills. She had to run the heater all day and night during winter months since the insulation in her apartment was essentially nonexistent. Good thing the heater ran on gas; at least she wouldn’t freeze to death in case of the blackout.

“Oi! Come here for a sec,” Tora called out to the small lady standing by an empty street. 

Poppy was checking her phone for the fourth time. She looked up to the growling voice only to see a black SUV stopped in front of her. She saw two men staring at her from the rolled down tinted window.

“I don’t like the way he treats you, honey. He don’t deserve you. He really don’t,” the blonde man in the passenger seat said to her, his eyebrows knotted, shaking his head in disapproval. 

“Quincey... Tora...” Poppy could see her long sigh steaming out with her breath. 

“What kind of man would leave ya standing in the cold?” Tora asked loudly from the driver side. 

“Must have been a silly one...” Quincey said back to his bodyguard. “To sacrifice a pot of gold,” he mumbled, looking down on his lap. He felt bad for his editor who was shivering and clenching her jaw. 

Poppy walked closer to the car, trying to smile at the two men but she was too damn cold to move her face. She was dressed in warm winter clothing, a wool hat and gloves, a long coat, and snow boots yet she wasn’t sure if she’d gotten any frost bite from standing still in the cold for as long as she had. The tip of her nose was red from crisp air and a few attempts to wipe the snot dripping from her nostrils. 

The passenger door swung open, Quincey stepped out and ushered her inside. He opened the other door and slid in the backseat. Tora cranked up the heat to help warm her up. 

“You’re the kind of woman that needs the man that’s always there,” Quincey voiced his opinion from the backseat. 

“It’s not that you require a lot. Just need some tender love and care,” the blonde man continued. 

Quincey would know. They had been working together on his novel for a few months. While he and his bodyguard respected her personal life, they didn’t like the fact that her lousy boyfriend always treated her like shit. 

They’d seen it at the company party when Julri got beyond drunk and Poppy had to literally drag him out. They’d heard of how he talked down to her in front of her coworkers every time he stopped by. Now he broke a simple promise, he couldn’t even call her to let her know he was going to be late or not coming at all.

Tora wanted to punch Julri’s ugly face every time he saw him. He couldn’t stand the shorter man, not only was the douche a naturally born asshole and acting like one but also because Tora had feelings for Poppy. Feelings he never knew he had before he met her. He realized it was wrong, she was taken, but he was a goner the moment they were introduced by the princess. 

Quincey stepped out as soon as the car stopped in front of his condo. He waved at the other two before running inside. It was starting to snow now; the blonde man knew Tora would take care of her and hoped Poppy would let him.

They pulled up to Poppy’s apartment complex the same time her phone started ringing, Julri finally called.

“I’m at home. Where are you, Julri?”

“Well, good! I was outside waiting for you for half an hour.”

“I got a ride.”

“Does it matter, Julri? I’m home now.”

“YOU are a bitch, Julri. YOU left me wait in the cold, didn’t even bother to call or text me,” she paused before continued yelling, “Tora drove me home.”

“Fuck off, Julri! You are such a scumbag. I should have listened to everybody a long time ago. I’m tired of your lame ass excuses, how you always put me down and how shitty you’ve been treating me. I hate you so fucking much right now! I’m done! We’re done! Don’t you dare call me ever again, asshole.” She yelled back before clicking on the red button to hang up the phone. 

That was all Tora could hear shouting from the small woman next to him as he sat quietly in the driver seat. Not that he wanted to eavesdrop but there was nowhere else for him to go.

“Sorry you had to hear that, Tora.” Poppy said when she put her phone back in her purse.

 _Oh no, I’m not sorry at all, sweetheart! I’m glad your boyfriend is fucked up._ Tora thought to himself, grinning inwardly. He was actually honored and happy that she let him see the other side of her, the pissed off one and with that, he was a little bit turned on by it.

He wanted to tell her he knew that her shitty boyfriend was being unfaithful to her. He had Gyu hacked into the dumbass’ phone and had other guys keep tabs on him. They reported back that the fucker was in fact cheating on her, with multiple women. 

But he couldn’t… He didn’t want to sound like a creepy stalker or an over possessive acquaintance or an overprotective friend. Or worse, all of the above.

He rested his elbow on the center console and turned to Poppy who looked defeated, her body slumped over, “I can leave if ya want me to,” his voice sincere.

“No, please. Don’t…” She reached out to grip his upper forearm and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Tora became immobile, his body stiffened. The only parts that seemed to be working were his thumping heart and a throbbing dick. He willed his other hand to gently pat on her head; with that, Poppy broke out a loud sniffle. He didn’t know what to say or do in order to console her so he left his hand in her hair and let her cry on his shoulder, her tears soaking through his down jacket. Tora’s heart was ripped into pieces listening to every sob and observing every shiver of the small body next to his. He couldn’t imagine how distressed and awful she must have felt.

They sat in the parked car for a long time before Poppy started wiping her tears, clearing the snot off her face and then straightening her figure.

Tora knew this was not the time to declare his feelings but fuck it. They were alone in the car and all he knew was that he had to be honest with her. With himself.

“It doesn’t make sense that you should have a broken heart, Bobby,” Tora said, breaking the silence.

“If I were the only one, I’d never let you fall apart,” he turned to look at her only to meet with the big brown eyes staring back, her mouth opened as wide. 

“What are you saying, Tora?” Poppy hugged herself as her gaze became intense, tears rolling from her eyes.

“Break up with the douche, Bobby. Let me take care of ya,” he sighed as he reached out his hand to hers.

“I’m sorry… What?” She asked as his words didn’t register in her mind. She continued to let their hands clasp together.

Tora tightened the grip of his hand and his confession finally hit her.

“Tora... I...,” her head hung low; she bit her lips as tears filled her eyes. She really didn’t know what to say to him.

It shook her to realize that even Tora noticed how poorly her boyfriend treated her. It also confused her that the tall and handsome man who had beautiful amber eyes and a perfect muscular body would want to be with her, of all people.

She was flattered.

She liked being around him and wasn’t afraid or scared of him like most people were; on the contrary it made her feel safe. When she looked at him, she saw a kind and sweet person looking back.

But it was wrong. All wrong. She was still with her boyfriend, a shitty one, but she was still with him. She was taken. 

An outburst argument this afternoon was nothing new. It had unfortunately happened numerous times before and Poppy became accustomed to it. One of them would threaten to leave then the other one would call a few hours later to apologize, they’d make up and get back together. They had been running around, chasing each other in a never ending circle. This miserable cycle had no way to stop. It would go on and on and on.

Could she make it stop though?

She’d been unhappy and at wit’s end with Julri’s bullshit. Calls had been cutting short and text messages had become less frequent. Not to mention date;, it was nonexistent now that he had to go to school and work as a tutor. Several little birds had told her that he was cheating yet she didn’t believe them. She was aware that her close friends and family hated Julri to the bone.

Yet she couldn’t easily break things off with that bastard, could she? They’d talked about getting engaged and married. She felt as if it was more of an expectation after they’d been dating for four years than it was the right thing for both of them to do. 

However, the squabble was different this time. Julri had accused her of cheating on him. With Tora who was more of a gentleman the past few months than Julri had ever been in the past few years. How could he insult her with those awful words? It hurt to hear that he thought of her as a disloyal girlfriend when she was a devoted lover for all this time.

Oh, how the cheater loved to turn the table.

“Do you want to come up and stay for dinner? I don’t think it’s safe to be on the road right now,” Poppy said when she looked outside the windshield and saw that it was snowing heavier now.

The storm wasn’t the worst condition Tora had encountered. He could still drive if he had to but he couldn’t say no to her request. There was no way in hell he would miss an opportunity to hang out with her.

Tora nodded in agreement and turned off the engine. He wasn’t sure how long the snowstorm would last but he would stay as long as she needed and allowed him to. He got out of the car to open the trunk. There were winter clothing, a box of energy bars and a gallon of water he prepared for the blackout at his apartment. They could use this extra stuff now that they were at Poppy’s, riding out the storm together. He gathered everything in one hand before opening the door for her. He draped the puffy jacket over her shoulder and guided her out of the car.

Poppy led the way to her apartment while Tora followed close behind. She unlocked the door, stepped inside and held the door open for him. He walked in, set the snacks and water down and toed off his boots before closing and locking the door. He took off his down jacket and beanie and hung them on the hook by the door.

He was quite familiar with her space as he had been there before when she agreed to have dinner with him. He was wondering if she would make him those cute little rice balls again. Maybe he could offer to help so he’d know how to make them too.

Poppy excused herself to go get changed as Tora sat down on a small cushion on the floor. A few minutes later she emerged from her bedroom in soft peach cozy knitted fluffy loungewear. Her hair was piled on her head in a loose bun.

“Ya okay, Bobby?” Tora asked with concern. He turned towards her, trying to look for signs of distress.

Poppy paused. “No, but I will be,” she told him wholeheartedly before walking into the kitchen and hollered, “Are you hungry? I can make some rice balls and teriyaki beef.”

Damn, she was feistier and stronger than he thought. A true fighter.

Tora got up and moved towards Poppy to see her reaching to grab something from a shelf in the cupboard. The comfy sweater rode up showing her soft and pale skin underneath.

“Need help?” Tora inquired as he propped his elbow on the door frame, openly ogling at her.

“No thanks, I’m good. Well… Not exactly good,” she said as she stood on her tip toes.

Tora stepped behind her, placing one hand on the counter next to her hip while the other grabbed the bento boxes that were out of her reach. He set the boxes down on the space in front of them and put a hand down atop the counter on the other side of her hip, caging her.

He lowered his face closer to her ear and whispered, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Is there anything I can do?”

Poppy turned to face him. Their eyes met, noses almost touching. Poppy trailed her gaze between his gravitating golden eyes and delicious looking lips.

Impulsiveness overrode her self-reservedness as she crashed her lips into his; her hands held onto his strong jawline, her thumbs brushed his warm cheeks. She felt his hand on her lower back pulling her closer while the other hand wove in her hair, tilting her head left and right as he deepened their kiss. Their lips parted, their teeth clicked; Poppy felt his tongue pushing deeper into her mouth. She hungrily sucked on it, a low moan escaping from her. Tora responded with a pleased hum and a wicked smirk.

He didn’t give a shit if he was just a fucking rebound, it was better than being nothing.

But if she allowed him to be in her life, he would buy her clothes, cook her dinner, pay her rent and more. Shit. Who was he kidding? Miss Independent probably wouldn’t let him but he would surely try to convince her.

Above all, he would be her faithful lover. No matter whom he had to deal with, be it Vincent or Quincey and no matter how hard the night was, he would come straight home to her.

Poppy drew her head back as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. Tora was struggling to even let out his breath. Their foreheads touched, their eyes fixed on each other; he gave her one more peck on the lips before pouring his heart out. “I’ll treat you right and I’ll never lie or flirt. I’ll never, never, never mess around, Bobby.”

Tora leaned in closer to Poppy’s ear, trailing kisses on the side of her neck. He could feel a jumping pulse and a lump being swallowed in her throat. “I’ll be around, never let ya down…For all that it’s worth,” he pleaded with his husky voice.

“Tora, I... Ah… I have to call Erdene,” Poppy murmured, nudging him gently with her hands on his chest. Her face turned beet red.

“Why? Ya gonna tell her we smooched?” His smile widened, showing those obscene dimples that he knew made her knees weak.

“Oh heck no, you perv! I forgot to tell her that I made it home safely. I also need to tell her I’m really done with that loser and that you’ll be staying with me until the storm passes, in case I get murdered or something,” she teased.

“Oww,” Poppy squealed as Tora pinched her cheeks. She swatted his arm playfully before running out the kitchen to her phone.

Tora stood still, hands on his hip. He looked up on a bright light box affixed on the ceiling, grinning to himself. He wished and hoped and prayed this snowstorm would last for at least a week.

Let it be a blizzard and turn the whole damned world into the North Pole. He didn’t fucking care, as long as he got to stay by this goddamn angel’s side.

He promised to give her the love that she most definitely deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the conversation between Poppy and a shitty ex -  
> J: Where the hell are you, Poppy?  
> P: I’m at home. Where are you, Julri?  
> J: What the fuck, Pops? I’m outside your office, waiting for your ass. I’m freezing my balls off.  
> P: Well, good! I was outside waiting for you for half an hour.  
> J: How the hell did you get home?  
> P: I got a ride.  
> J: From who?  
> P Does it matter, Julri? I’m home now.  
> J: You didn’t even care to let me know that you’re already home. Why you gotto be such a bitch,  
> P: YOU are a bitch, Julri. YOU left me wait in the cold, didn’t even bother to call or text me. *Pause* Tora drove me home.  
> J: Oh that scary thug! Why is he so nice to you, huh? You spread your legs for him, didn’t you? Is that why he cares so much? Are you lusting after him, too, Poppy? How does it feel to finally let someone in your panties, huh?  
> P: Fuck off, Julri! You are such a scumbag. I should have listened to everybody a long time ago. I’m tired of your lame ass excuses, how you always put me down and how shitty you’ve been treating me. I hate you so fucking much right now! I’m done! We’re done! Don’t you dare call me ever again, asshole.
> 
> Gosh - can you tell I hate Julri so much? 
> 
> Dropping another fanfic before I have to go back to work today...  
> Let me know what you guys think. I love reading your comments!


End file.
